I was just diagnosed with Celiac disease and my mother and I are planning a trip to Sicily in March. This is the first time I've traveled abroad since the diagnosis. I've been to Italy several times and know that there are other options besides pasta, but I'm worried that my needs won't be understood - or even worse, they will think I'm just trying to be a pain in the a**. I'm not! I was the least picky eater on earth until May. Grr...any suggestions?

Don't worry, travelday. Italy is a very easy country in which to be "gluten-free". Skip the pizza, pasta and bread, of course. But there are lots of wonderful fish and meat dishes without wheat, plus vegetables, salads, and risotto. In the north, I eat a lot of polenta, but I don't think it is common in Sicily. It would be very unusual for a sauce to be thickened with flour; at least I've never encountered one in a dish I ordered.

And there's always gelato.

Some people will sugggest carrying a card explaining your needs in Italian, to show to the waiter. I've never found this necessary---careful ordering takes care of it.

There are celiacs in italy too , sure... as there are here in Spain, don't worry, you won't be an ET I think enzian is right, just make sure of what you order

I should add that you will want to stick to grilled meats, chicken, and fish. A sauteed or fried dish might have flour as a coating or batter. So no Fritto Misto!

Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate the help. I found a card on-line that explains it in Italian, so I'll bring it along just in case. Can't hurt to pack some Luna bars just in case. Thanks to all! I am getting really excited about the trip.

There have been quite a few threads here before devoted to the Gluten-Free issue. Too many for me to post the links!

So type into the search box the words: gluten free in italy (15 results)
and coeliac in Italy (2 results)
and celiac in italy (12 results)

The single most important thing you can do is to get a card printed up which states in the language of the country you are going to exactly what your dietary requirements are. Even if you learn the words, there is the risk if mistranslation.

www.dietarycard.com

...has an excellent range of languages to choose from. I've had several cards from them.

Its highly unlikely anyone in La Bella Sicilia will give you a hard time about it. If they do it will be very brief and it's only because they feel so badly that you aren't going to try some special dish they make. Sicilians are very proud of their food.

Having just went to Sicily in September, nearly everything there is prepared fried or coated in something. The Arancini balls filled with meat or rice filling are fried, their vegetables are fried (eggplant, zucchini, etc), as well as fried chicken and veal slices in many dishes. But there are still plenty of seafood dishes with fresh fish (don't get the "frutti di mare misto" or else you will get a fried fish plate) around. Also, you can order a "bistecca" and get a plain steak. I think it is a good idea to have that card explaining your eating limitations. If all else fails, you can eat an "insalata caprese everyday (mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil) which is my fav.

Hi All!

Just wanted to update you on the Sicilian Gluten-Free Experience 2007 and I have to say that it was WONDERFUL! Although it is nearly impossible to eat anything standing up (no sandwiches, arancini, pizza etc) and eating costs significantly more because we did have to sit down at all of our restaurants, it was wonderful. Every single place we went was marvelously accomodating. It helps that I speak a little bit of Italian, and could convey that I have celiac (they actually understand what that is! Even in the most rustic of destinations. I don't get that kind of comprehension in Boston!). I got a little sick of Antipasti, but loved the salads, grilled meats, fish, everything. It was all delicious and I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

travelday, thanks for reporting back about your experiences eating gluten free in Italy! I've done well eating gluten free in France and the UK but we tend to pack picnic lunches as it's the hardest meal if you can't eat typical fast food.

A celiac friend of mine with a daughter in Rome said that some restaurants in Italy undergo special training to provide gluten free meals and are monitored by the Italan Celiac Association. She often encountered restaurants that would put on a fresh pot of water and boil gluten free pasta for her.

My friend also found that she could order a variety of gluten free foods at pharmacies and brought tons of GF pasta home with her. The Italian government covers the cost of gluten free food for Italian celiacs. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

There is a telephone service within Italy that can help you find gluten free restaurants in whatever area you are. I know it's a little late for your trip but other celiacs might come across this thread or you may return so here it is: http://www.celiachia.it/ristoratori/892424en.asp

moolyn - what a wonderful resource. never too late - i don't plan to stop traveling any time soon! thanks so much for that.

i found it very easy to just say 'sono una celiachia. non posso mangiare paste e pane e farina etc' and they were really responsive. it was really amazing how even in the most provincial towns, they knew what i was saying. i wish america were like that! and covering the enormous cost of gluten-free food would be pretty darn fantastic too!

Gluten Free restaurant in Trastevere area of Rome. Il Tulipano Nero at www.tulipanonero.it. Found this restaurant online, but lost the note. Found it the day before I left Rome. Turns out it was in the same block as my apt. Wonderful place with half the menu being gluten free. I had my first pizza in Rome and it was delicious. They mark the GF plates with small toothpick-flags. There were several families there, and I could see usually 1 member of each group enjoying GF brushetta, pizza and pasta. Tried to go back at lunch the next day, but they weren't open for lunch. I wish I would have found it earlier. Great place. And the prices were better than anywhere else. The GF pizza was about 8 Euro - the same price as the regular pizzas. My family enjoyed their regular food as well. I wish they moved to the states!

Also, the grocery stores in Europe have a larger GF section than most in the states. Rome's were in the regular stores. In France, they had 'biologie' stores all over that had organic and GF stuff. In Antibes and Rome, I could walk to each.

Italy is heaven for us celiacs
You don't have to skip pizza and pasta either, just find the right restaurant. Ate gluten free pizza in Milan on Sunday - delicious!

If the restaurants don't have gluten free pasta, bring your own and they can cook it for you. The key to good and safe glutenfree food is communication, tell them to be careful when preparing your food...(in Italy the chefs knows this already, but to be sure...)

We visit Italy every summer and eat out quite a lot, and to me it has been a very positive experience - no problems at all!